Marja Ruigrok

Shocked and sad reactions met Amsterdam mayor Eberhard van der Laan's announcement that he is stepping down due to his metastasized lung cancer. Van der Laan (PvdA) announced on Monday afternoon that he is resigning, based on the advice of his doctors. One Amsterdam city council member described the news as "a punch to the face", RTL Nieuws reports.

In a city center that is filled with co-working spaces, it is not particularly surprising that a new hub for sex workers in Amsterdam's famed Red Light District is using ideas like flexible room rental agreements, a website showing who is working at any given time and what their skills are, and a sort-of networking lounge like those seen in many of the city's shared working environments. My Red Light was unveiled to journalists on Friday, over two years after the city's mayor first floated the idea of a brothel completely managed and run by sex workers.

The Wester Mosque in Amsterdam-West wants to amplify its call to prayer by making it from its minaret, despite previous agreements not to do so, Het Parool reports.

The wish of the mosque to make its call to prayer from the 42 meter high minaret came to light in the summer, to the dismay of the homeowners association of the adjascent residential complex. It was brought up again when Mayor Eberhard van der Laan visited the mosque last week. The Amsterdam VVD now wants to know what's going on.

The Amsterdam VVD is critical of the capital city's lenient ecstasy policy during the Amsterdam Dance Event. During this event party goers will only be punished if they are in the possession of more than five pills, instead of the one pill maximum applicable in the rest of the Netherlands.

Organizing festivals in Amsterdam should be easier, according to political parties D66 and VVD. The parties are aiming to put an end to differences between the districts and authorities by streamlining the process to award permits for city events, Parool reports.